The Spoonpluggers Forum

I am looking to buy a new flasher and wondering if you can give me some advice on which Vexilar and especially what cone angle. I assume that Vexilar is the only one making a flasher now. My old flasher was a hummingbird that bit the dust.

Get yourself a used Zercom. You can find one on E-bay. Not the ice fishing model but any of the others will do fine. They are the best flasher ever made. Vexilar has too wide of a reading. You will not see breaklines well with them. Get an 8 degree cone and a Zercom and you are set. You will do ok with a 20 but better with an 8. You can find them also. Just have to look around. John

I have a Vexilar FL-18.
I did buy the dual cone transducer, the one with 9 and 16 or whatever degrees.
I love the unit and have never had a problem. I would NOT spend the money on the dual cone, in fact I would sticlk with the standard 16(?) cone.

Like John said, if you can find them on ebay they are cheap. But I should also say that I stopped buying computer parts on ebay because they never work. But maybe your luck would be different.
See Ya
Fran

John, please say more about the vexilar reading too wide. Do you mean the cone angle is too wide or that the readout on the flasher is too wide? I, like Fran have an FL-18. I have the 12 degree cone angle. I do find it necessary most all the time to use the low power mode as the red band reading for the bottom is too wide and hides the actual bottom depth. Low power mode has solved this problem for me ( I believe.)

For any vexilar unit a suppression cord is available to achieve the low power to the transducer and consequently the narrower band readout. Of course much is lost by going to low power and so I use high power when searching for a thermocline or baitfish depth. Going back and forth would be more troublesome with any vexilar unit other than the FL-18

Noel

Thanks for the information and opinions. I'll keep looking on internet for a while for a Zercom. I know better now what will work for me.

Hi Jim, I was not aware that they had a cone angle of 12 degrees. that should work just fine. The only vexlar flasher I have ever seen work was the ice fishing models, and I know that they have a wide reading. That will not show breaklines very well. They will do the job but I know what the zercom will do. Do not get one that is 150 mg. Get the one that is 200. David Bishop has the 150 and they do not give a good reading for some reason. I have had a clearwater classic for years and got an 8 degree cone and it is awesome for showing breaklines. The best.
It s a shame that they are not made anymore. Look at the whole fishing industry. Steering wheels and trolling motors. We are the oddballs but we do catch a few fish once in a while.
Good luck John